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Halston and Net-a-porter unite

Roland Mouret A/W 2008 Mitchell Sams

Fashion is getting faster: this season, for the very first time, Net-a-porter will stock a designer collection less than 24 hours after it's seen on the catwalk.

In what is being seen as a major wake-up call to the whole industry, the luxury e-tailer will sell two pieces from the first collection from the relaunched Halston brand the day after they are shown at New York Fashion Week.

With same-day delivery for those living in London and New York (and next-day delivery for the rest of the world), that means you could be wearing a designer piece within a day of it being seen on the catwalk.

'As the collection goes down the runway on 4 February and the press and buyers are seeing it for the first time, two of the key pieces will be sitting, wrapped, packed and ready to go in our distribution centres in Manhattan and London for worldwide delivery,' Net-a-porter founder Natalie Massenet explains.

'This is offering a luxury brand a lifeline in an age when the high street chain will deliver their product to customers faster.

'We are allowing a luxury brand to reclaim the right to sell to the customer first. We are only doing it with two looks, but hope that we are offering a glimpse to brands that we can change the fashion system and say, "We can get the product to the customer, because we can market and distribute in the world."'

The experiment follows Net-a-porter's successful venture with RM by
Roland Mouret last year when customers could log on and order pieces
from his collection the day after the show. However, just like a
regular truck show, they still had to wait some time for their clothes to arrive. This time, they can actually be wearing the Halston-designed items with a day.

The importance of this fashion breakthrough should not be underestimated. In an age where high street chains can rip-off designer looks far quicker than the designers themselves can get their product in the shops, this new initiative could change the way the bi-annual shows operate.

Tuesday 29 January 2008

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